When he took office, Barack Obama promised hope. And with his final term almost over, Americans finally have it. For most of the country, the last seven years have been a tragic departure from the values that made America a great nation. But as far as the White House is concerned, that isn't cause for concern -- but celebration. It means that this president has accomplished exactly what he said he set out to do: fundamentally transform America.

The evidence of it is everywhere -- from the danger on our streets to the confusion in our classrooms; from the further fracturing of the family to the misuse of our military. And unfortunately, we'll be spending the better part of a generation trying to repair the damage of the Obama administration. But, as everyone watching this evening's State of the Union knows, there is light at the end of the lawless tunnel. We see it in the fresh face sitting in the Speaker's chair behind President Obama. We see it in the audience, where brave women like Kim Davis and the Little Sisters of the Poor will be sitting -- symbols of defiance in the president's war on religious liberty. And we see it in the speeches of the men and women vying to stand exactly where the president is next year.

Tonight, we remember that for every outrageous ruling on marriage, there were brave county clerks. For each attack on faith and nature's law, there were cities like Houston. And for every atheist suing to take God out schools, there were godly principals. At last night's State of the Family address at FRC, we paid tribute to them all -- and called on the Church to pray and act for a spiritual, moral, and cultural renewal in our nation. That may not be the message the president brings to the American people tonight, but it's the message our country needs to hear. Surrounded by some of the survivors of the president's last seven years, I laid out our key concerns for the family and our broader culture.

Marriage, religious liberty, human sexuality, the church, race relations, and our core beliefs have all been devastated under this administration. But, as I told last night's crowd, this past year has shown us that we cannot and will not be permitted to separate ourselves from the social battles that are underway in the nation. As Christians, if we can't live according to our faith -- whether it's in the home, whether it's in the workplace, in the school -- then we really can't be the Americans that we have the right to be.

Our opponents try to limit our freedom of speech because they fear its power. And that power is exactly what Kim Davis, Texas Pastors Hernon Castano and Charles Flowers, and Principal Jason Rowland showed by standing up to the forces of political oppression. Whether they faced lawsuits like Jason, jail time like Kim, government hostility like Hernon and Charles, courage won the day. And as Pastor Castano knows from overturning Houston's bathroom bill, that courage is contagious. Brave Christians are sending a message to the country, he told the Washington Times, that it "should respect the people and the body of Christ."

Sadly, the man standing before a joint session of Congress tonight isn't heeding that message. That's why, I believe, it's time for America's religious leaders to come together and show our political leaders a way forward. If you missed my speech explaining how, watch it below -- and then share it with your family and friends! For more coverage of our State of the Family Address, check out the media buzz in CBN, Breitbart, Associated Press, Christian Post, CNSNews, World magazine, and Washington Examiner.

Tony Perkins' Washington Update is written with the aid of FRC senior writers.